Research Translation
“Changing times demand a new social contract between society and the institutions of higher education.”
What is RT?
NSF defines research translation (RT) as an effort to “advancing discoveries resulting from academic research into tangible solutions that benefit the public.“
The overarching goal for the ART program is to advance the U.S. scientific and economic leadership by building capacity for more robust research translation activities in Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) across the nation.
Enabling Translation
Our goal is to accelerate the rate of translation of university discoveries into societal impacts, diversely and inclusively defined by each institution and discipline. We believe three key factors shape how universities and their faculty align with and engage in translational work.
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From the Morrill Acts that created land-grant universities to the Bayh-Dole Act empowering IHEs to own their inventions, U.S. higher education runs on public trust—the belief that IHEs advance society through discovery and innovation.
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Advancing research translation depends on the capacity to act and incentive to make decisions within the unique IHE structure. That structure provides both opportunities and challenges for translation.
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Academia can provide both internal (organizational norms) and external (disciplinary norms) pressures that influence whether research translation remains symbolic in policies or realized into action.
The PTIE Plan
PTIE puts forward recommendations designed to elevate research translation, innovation, and entrepreneurship within faculty reward systems. Through a collaborative, cross-institutional approach, we envision changes that unite IHEs nationwide around a shared language in promotion and tenure process. Innovation is already a thriving part of faculty teaching, research, and service; yet, it is often undervalued. Addressing the faculty rewards structure will enable universities to realize their full potential in research translation.
PTIE takes the approach that innovation happens everywhere across the academy, including the STEM, arts, and humanities.
Our Philosophy
PTIE seeks to enable faculty to achieve the full impact from their discoveries and realizing their altruistic goals to positively impact society.
PTIE believes that the most important output from universities is their students, who they train and mentor to be the next generation of innovators, intrapreneurs, and entrepreneurs for our country and beyond.
PTIE understands that this progress takes time and success should be measured by a broad spectrum of impacts.